The ray of sunshine woke me up from my slumber. I groggily got out of bed and got dressed, prepared for another day of leveling up in the dungeon.
It's been roughly two months since we were summoned to this world, and nearly a month and a half since Philip and Mark's – I mean Astoshan's and Merlin's – disappearance. The higher brass seems to have finally figured out that they somehow managed to escape with the dungeon's help, but the specifics still elude them.
The maids assigned to each summoned person have eased up on their constant monitoring as well. The kingdom has deemed us loyal enough, so the surveillance net cast on us considerably decreased. Ironically, this made it much easier for me to map out all the areas I needed and let me prepare for our escape.
Sarah removed the abnormal status effects from Elizabeth and Evelynn. I'm now also done experimenting with my unique skills [Avatar of Falsehood] and [Dimensional Tunnel].
[Dimensional Tunnel], as it turns out, is capable of transporting individuals other than myself. The ability didn't seem to be restricted by distance, either. On one of our dungeon delving expeditions, I snuck away for a moment and managed to open a portal to my room in the castle, despite being over 20 kilometers away.
After breakfast, Sarah, Elizabeth and Evelynn convened in my room. Sarah sat in a chair opposite me, while Elizabeth and Evelynn occupied the side of my bed.
"So, are we really doing it? Running away, I mean."
Elizabeth began the conversation none of us were too eager to start. Our levels were now in the early 30s, only a few levels below Simon, who had the highest level so far. We've been holding back considerably on our excursions to the dungeons so as not draw unwanted attention to ourselves by raising our level too fast.
Running away from the castle, and Hosefelia as a whole, would most likely make us enemies with the rest of our class and an entire nation. On the other hand, if we stayed, we risked getting caught and disposed of, if the king came to know that we were not under the mind-altering curses.
Turning the others was out of the question, unfortunately. When Sarah was trying to undo the effects on Evelynn, we came to know that the success rate for undoing the negative status effects is not guaranteed. If the other person's stats are high, like Evelynn's Legendary Alchemist, it can cause Sarah's [Unchained] to not even activate when they do not consent to having the skill used on them. It doesn't consume any mana, but the affected person will realize someone tried to undo the curse and try to inform the caster, or someone affiliated with the caster. I had to physically restrain Evelynn when we were getting rid of her curses, otherwise she would have run away and ratted us out to the higher ups.
It was too draining on Sarah and too risky. If we tried it on someone like Simon and it failed, we'd immediately be found out. It didn't help that the princess was practically glued to him not only during the day, but during the night as well. I am surprised the king hadn't declared him her fiancée yet.
"Honestly, I feel like that is the safer choice, despite how risky it sounds."
I answered Elizabeth.
"The longer we stay here, the higher the chances we get found out, and I am not interested in knowing what the consequences of that would be."
This kingdom was willing to kidnap innocent people from another world, enslave them with spells and throw them into the jaws of dungeons for purposes of war. Staying here makes me feel like I'm walking on eggshells.
"I agree with what my darling little brother said."
Said Sarah.
My cheeks twitched at her calling me little brother again, but I stayed my tongue. I know she won't stop doing it no matter how much I tell her to stop doing it, and now was not the time to break the conversation with my whining.
"And frankly, I feel like Simon is starting to have too much sway around here. I'm afraid he's going to get corrupted by the power he holds, and I'd prefer not to be in his sight when that happens."
Continued Sarah, hugging her shoulders and shivering. With how much the princess clung to him and his own growing power as the Legendary Hero, the knights have started to listen to orders he gave them without protest.
"You're saying that as if he wasn't corrupt already and is only now starting to slowly realize he holds actual power… though I agree, I'd prefer to be as far away as possible when it dawns on him that he can order us around as well. I don't think the kingdom will do much to oppose his wishes, he's their trump card, after all. Just the way he ogles me is enough to give me chills."
Elizabeth said so with disgust written all over her face. Evelynn nodded with a similar look of disgust next to Elizabeth.
'Not that I'm even remotely surprised.'
I've occasionally seen the princess drag another maid or two to Simon's chambers for the night. I even heard a rumor some of the female classmates have been seen going to his room in the dead of night, but I'm unsure whether it is true or not.
If he does end up getting drunk on his power and having the princess' unconditional support, I can see why the girls would be disgusted by such a future. After all, if he gains enough power and demands them to 'entertain' him for the night, they'd have to obey under the curse's influence.
"Let's do it tonight, then. Our grand escape."
I declared in a firm voice. Sarah leaned back leisurely into her chair, Elizabeth nodded resolutely, and Evelynn clenched her shaky fists in front of her.
We departed for our dungeon delving roughly an hour after we had our breakfast. We slightly increased our levels but kept it in moderation to keep unwanted attention away from us. Back at the castle, we learned that Simon has reached level 40. He gained a good 5 levels on this outing. He and his party must've fully cleared the D-rank dungeon we were in at least once for such an increase in level.
I lay the packed bag of essentials on the bed. Sarah and the rest should already be ready as well by now, all that's left is for me to warp to Sarah's room with [Dimensional Tunnel]. Taking a deep breath, I created the warp portal, connecting it to Sarah's room. A bright blue light enveloped my room as the infinitely thin portal materialized in front of me. Blue particles popped into existence like sparks before vanishing without trace.
I slung the bag of essentials over my shoulder and entered the portal. A kaleidoscope of blue, white and purple geometrical patterns swirled around me in directions my brain couldn't comprehend. I felt my brain start hurting from the incomprehensible dimension my skill used to connect the two points in space. Before the pain became too severe, the kaleidoscope unwrapped and gave way to normal, three-dimensional space.
'Ugh, the only downside of this skill.'
I shook my head to get rid of the light headache.
Sarah was sitting on the table, one leg over the other. Her long curly blonde hair cascading down to her chest and her purple eyes, same as mine, looked at me as I walked out of the portal. She was wearing a dark-red robe she always wore to our dungeon incursions. Her light leather armor covered a white shirt with floral patterns and tight black leather pants protected her legs.
Evelynn, sitting in a chair next to the table, wore her dark green robe, the same color as her waist-length hair. Her emerald-green yes nervously darted in my direction from behind her glasses as I appeared in the center of the room. A pouch full of alchemical materials hung at her waist and her pants had potions and bombs strapped to them in holsters.
Elizabeth was leaning against the door, scanning the room with alert hazel eyes. Her chestnut-colored hair in a bob cut contrasted nicely against the medium iron armor she wore, giving her the image of a maiden knight. A greatsword hung on her back, ready to be drawn at any moment to protect the only people she cared for on this world.
Everyone was battle ready, just as we agreed upon, with sacks containing their essentials laying at their feet. I, of course, was also ready for battle. I wore a light iron armor and had a sword fastened to my left side.
"Everyone ready?"
I asked with a voice devoid of any nervousness. Sarah flashed me a grin and a thumbs up, Evelynn anxiously nodded her head whereas Elizabeth gave me curt nod.
"You bet, lil' bro."
"Y-yes!"
"Ready whenever."
I smiled and created another portal. One leading us out of this creepy castle, leading us to our freedom, leading us away from danger.
"Good. Let us be off, then."
○○○
The news of Gilber's betrayal spread like wildfire after our return to the guild in Thormia. The guild didn't buy what we said initially, but after they sent out a search party the following day and they came back and confirmed our story, they were left with no option but to believe us.
Naturally, we omitted the part about pouring a leshy-attracting concoction on the sleazebag. Can't be seen as the bad guys, now can we. Once all that interrogating was finished, we were finally let off the hook and allowed to return to our lodgings to rest. Naturally, my dinner-slash-date with Syndra had to be postponed, as dealing with the paperwork and being interrogated left us all mentally drained.
Merlin spent the evening experimenting with some of the other substances and materials he got ahold of at the night market, while the girls rested, holed up in their room.
I snuck out and went to visit a high-end clothing shop to look for a dress that would suit Syndra well. The guild paid us a hefty sum as compensation for letting one of their trusted adventurers be bought off by a bandit group, on top of the bounty reward. As it turned out, Martinos was a notorious criminal wanted in most of the eastern nations, so our scuffle that put an end to him painted Thormia's guild in very good light. A short investigation revealed that Bazra was Martinos' younger brother, which came as a shock to the guild. Consequently, our ranks were raised to C-rank, as one of the rewards for eliminating Martinos.
The fight also gave me and Merlin a ludicrous amount of XP. Our levels rose from 33 to 42. My STR and AGI were now in the quadruple digits, whereas Merlin's mana capacity could put even most court mages in Hosefelia to shame. The level up also unleashed another one of my unique skills, which was overpowered beyond measure. I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming when I read its description. Merlin's also synergized well with his personality, though his unique skill will shine much more once we're stronger.
I passed most of the time chatting with Sera while I looked over the dresses, inquiring about this and that regarding the system while browsing the dresses. All she could offer me were the hidden numbers and calculations behind how the system worked and not any actually influential information. Though it did help shed light on some of the questions I had, such as how a mage could react to a vanguard's attack. Your reaction speed, that is to say, your brain's ability to process information, isn't influenced by your AGI stat, but by the combined number of all stats. It was neat, getting to know these little tidbits of information normally hidden in the system.
Finally, I found a dress I thought would go well with Syndra's aqua blue eyes and silver hair. I asked the clerk if they could prepare it in the measurements I specified, but according to the clerk, they had those exact measurements in stock already as one of the trial-produced versions. Lucky me.
I paid for the dress then and there and picked up a set of silver accessories with aquamarine gems embedded in them on my way back in a jewelry shop. Beautiful earrings the shape of a crashing wave, a pair of elegant cuff bracelets and a necklace. All were made out of silver and every piece had a polished aquamarine tastefully integrated into them.
I'm going too far with a simple gift for a woman I'm not even dating? Probably. I honestly bought the stuff on impulse, only thinking that it might make Syndra smile. That much was enough for me to buy the accessory set without hesitation.
'I'm too freaking easy. I mean, we've known each other for like three days. Didn't even have that many meaningful interactions. Though, talking with her has been the highlight of the past few days.'
I smiled, thinking back on our conversations and how happy I felt. Guess I was alone for too long and the spark I felt when talking with her sent my lonely heart into overdrive. I should ask Merlin if he'd be fine with them joining our party, if they wish to do so. I'll have to discuss that with Syndra on our date tomorrow as well.
"Look who we've got here."
A voice came from behind me. Turning around, I saw Sabrina looking at me. Instead of her usual battle-priestess outfit, she wore casual clothes. A white shirt, a brown corset and black pants. She keeps her tomboyish look even in casual clothes, I see.
"Fancy meeting you here, Sabrina."
"Whatcha doing out here, Astoshan?"
I pondered whether I should lie or just tell her the truth. In the end, I decided to tell her the truth. With her personality, I bet the most she's going to do is grumble and hurl a few insults my way, maybe a punch or two.
"Buying a reserve dress for Syndra in case your choice ends up being horrible, actually."
I lifted the bag containing the dress I bought for Syndra and dangled it in front of Sabrina's face. Her cheeks twitched and I could see I might have struck a nerve there.
"Do you trust me so little?"
"You heavily remind me of Merlin, whose fashion sense is horrible, so yes."
She swung her fist at me, but even after she hit me in my shoulder full force, I barely felt it. The physical difference between a [Mythical] frontline class and an [Epic] backline class was massive indeed, I must've had at least triple her STR stat, if not more.
Curiosity got the best of me and I couldn't help but ask.
"Um, can I ask you a somewhat personal question?"
"Sure."
"What's your STR stat right now?"
Sabrina raised an eyebrow. She glanced at the place she just hit and understanding dawned upon her.
"Ah, it's 95. Why, didn't expect it to hurt that much?"
A teasing smile and derisive town accompanied her answer.
"Oh, ok, so I have more than ten times your STR stat. That's why I didn't even feel it."
Her teasing smile quickly turned into a sulking frown, which then into disbelief. Her guess had been off and she made a fool out of herself instead. I laughed at her reaction and steered the conversation back to the dress.
"Anyway, if you could give this to Syndra to wear for the evening, that'd be greatly appreciated. I personally think it's going to really suit her."
I handed her the bag. She took a quick peek inside and her eyes went wide.
"Is this the dress from the shop around the corner?"
"Yep."
She nodded and took the bag from me.
"Good taste. I'll tell her it's a gift from me, if that's fine with you. I do wonder if you got her sizes right, though."
"Please do. And there's no need to worry on that front, I have a skill that allows me to measure distances and sizes very, very accurately."
'Sera truly is a cheat.'
I looked up, the sky slowly turning orange, heralding the oncoming night. Today has been a little out of the ordinary, but nothing too serious. Martinos was a tougher opponent than I had expected, but we managed to pull through. As I was reminiscing about the day's events, my eyes fell back down and stopped on the bag holding the dress. A fancy dress. A semi-formal dress. A dress for outings where you want to look good.
I don't have any clothes like that.
"Ah, fuck."
I subconsciously cursed out loud, lamenting the fact I hadn't bought a good looking suit or set of clothes for myself. All I had were my adventuring clothes and the clothes from my old world, but there was no way I could whip those out. They didn't look formal anyway.
"What's up?"
Sabrina asked, confused by my outburst.
"I just realized I've been so preoccupied with buying Syndra a safety dress I completely forgot to get formal clothes for myself."
"Pfft."
Sabrina covered her mouth with her hand, trying her best no to laugh at my idiocy. She looked at me with pity and derision.
"Want me to accompany you and help choose a suit for you?"
"Sure, having a woman's opinion should come in handy. You did say your fashion sense was good, so as a form of apology for not trusting you before, I shall rely on you for this."
I bowed, exaggerating it on purpose.
Sabrina laughed and heartily passed by me.
"Come, then. I shall teach this lost lamb the ways of fashion. Muhaha!"
As I watched Sabrina's receding back, I wondered if I'll be fine.
'Ah, whatever. She said her fashion sense is good. Let's trust her, it can't be that bad in the first place.'
○○○
The experience of choosing an outfit for me to wear was so much worse than I could've anticipated.
Not because Sabrina's fashion sense was bad, but because 'going shopping with a woman is a bad idea' is one of the universe's oldest truths.
"Argh! Screw it! I'll just take this one!"
I couldn't take it anymore and tried to forcefully buy the suit I currently had on me. This is like the tenth piece Sabrina had me try. The previous nine pieces were great in their own right, but Sabrina always wanted to go for another one on the off chance it would look better.
"No can do, dear future brother-in-law. Come on, put on the next one."
"I refu-. Wait. We're not getting married! The hell do you mean by future brother-in-law! In the first place, no way a creature like you could be related to an adorable girl like Syndra!"
Sabrina's remark got me all flustered and I inadvertently poured out insults towards Sabrina. A vein on her forehead swelled and her cheeks twitched slightly.
"Don't you think you're going too far with that remark? We haven't known each other for that long to be that comfortable around each other."
She was right. We've known each other for maybe three or four days. Calling her a creature right off the bat is too far. I tensed up and internally berated myself for losing my cool from such simple teasing. This outburst is very much unlike me. I'm not one to hold off from biting back in verbal jabs, but I'm not one to lose my cool like this.
I lightly bowed my head and apologized to Sabrina, hoping her opinion of me didn't drop significantly.
"You're right. I shouldn't have called you a creature. I got too heated there. I'm sorry."
I stayed like that for a few seconds, but all I got in return was silence. I cautiously raised my head, only to see Sabrina covering her mouth and trying to hold back a laugh. Now it was time for my cheeks to twitch. I decided to hold back my tongue this time and simply accept it as my punishment. I should've figured she was merely playing with me. She's truly the same as Merlin.
If our parties do end up merging, I wonder whether we'll be able to survive the onslaught of two annoying pricks like this.
"Sigh. Whatever. Let's just pick one of the ten pieces we tried on so far and get out of here. It's already night."
I looked outside at the black sky, visible through the window. Irma was mostly hidden by Atraias, so the streets looked like they were dyed in blood due to Erma's red color
We've spent a good two hours in the shop now, and I was starting to feel mentally strained. Having to change from sophisticated outfit to sophisticated outfit continuously is a worse experience than nearly getting turned into past tense by a stinky goblin knight.
"Sure, sure. I'll let you off the hook then. I think the sixth piece would go best with the dress you chose for her, so I wholly recommend it."
"Funny, that. I'm of the same opinion."
I smiled and quickly bought the sixth suit Sabrina had me try as I wanted to get back to my room out, far away from Sabrina's whims, as fast as possible. Well, at least I confirmed her fashion sense is leagues better than Merlin's.
○○○
The next day, we spent the morning as our full group. We met up at lunch and conversed until before noon, when the girls excused themselves, saying they had something to do. Sabrina's wink, sly grin and thumbs up as they were leaving the dining room quickly exposed that they were going to dress Syndra up. At least, that was my conjecture.
I and Syndra agreed to meet up in the late afternoon, around 5, at the town's main square, so I had plenty of time before then. I accompanied Merlin on his adventures to the city's market once more, but this time without the shady merchants. He bought a few, according to him, very useful materials and books, but I was zoned out most of the time, window browsing the other shops.
Time passed quickly, and before I knew it, it was 3:30 in the afternoon. I separated from Merlin and returned to our inn, where I bathed, put on the semi-formal attire I bought the day before, and got overall ready to head out.
The attire consisted of a white shirt and black vest with intricate purple designs. It also came with a white cloak decorated with purple embroidery, but because of the heat, I decided to leave it at the inn. The trousers were purely black, with no intricate designs, unlike the vest. The vest also came with a lustrous decorative silver chain over my left shoulder, and the trousers came with a black leather belt with a silver buckle.
All in all, I looked fucking amazing. I knew I had a bit of a narcissistic personality, as I 'd try to always make sure I looked good whenever I saw my reflection in a window or mirror, but right now, I looked straight up dashing.
I even did my hair in a special way. Instead of my usual low ponytail, I styled it in the half-up, half-down style. I almost couldn't recognize myself.
I checked the clock tower from the room's window and saw I still had about thirty minutes left before our appointed time, but since I finished with all my preparations, I decided to head out early.
The main plaza had a nice fountain in the middle, sporadically surrounded by benches. I sat down with my back to the setting sun. The water spewed by the fountain glimmered in a mixture of blue and amber, as shadows cast by the buildings that surrounded the square stretched tall.
The sky, too, was ever so slightly dyed in an orange tint. The number of people bustling around the plaza greatly dwindled compared to the numbers during noon. I could see maybe 20 people when I looked around the entire plaza now, leaving and entering the stores and offices, whereas the plaza was a bustling hotpot of activity during the day.
I craned my neck to look at the clock tower. Barely ten minutes have passed since I left the inn. I felt surprisingly calm. Well, this isn't my first date, it'd be weirder if I was completely out of it, but I expected to feel at least a tinge of nervousness and anxiety.
'Well, this is better.'
"Astoshan!"
I was broken out of my clock-staring by a voice I've come to enjoy hearing. I stood up and turned to my left and saw Syndra, the person I'd been waiting for standing next to the fountain with a slight blush on her cheeks.
She looked absolutely stunning. Her silver-white hair matched the silver accessories perfectly and her eyes had the same color as the aquamarine gems. She was wearing a white-blue dress, the one I chose yesterday. Her shoulders were left revealed, but it didn't come off erotic or indecent at all. It instead emphasized her beauty and cuteness. It wasn't too formal, but also didn't appear to be casual wear either. The dress ended a few centimeters above her ankles.
"Woah."
My brain felt as if it had shut down. I was incapable of processing any other information other than how great Syndra looked. The building in the background, the orange-tinted sky, the sound of the water trickling down the fountain, all of it stopped registering in my consciousness.
"Hello."
Syndra greeted me coyly, tucking away a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
"Hi. You look beautiful."
I wasn't one to shy away from saying what was on my mind, so I honestly complimented her. Her rosy cheeks turned full-blown crimson as she avoided my gaze.
"Th-thank you. It makes me happy to hear you say that. You look great yourself. And sorry I'm late. Did you wait long?"
"Hahaha! You're 20 minutes early, so there is no need for you to apologize. And I just got here myself, so I didn't wait long. Are you feeling hungry?"
"No, I'm not hungry just yet."
I made a reservation at a good restaurant for the entire evening, so it didn't matter much when we'd arrive. I had a whole plan for the evening, though, so this worked better for me.
"Well then, shall we?"
I extended my left arm in the way Sabrina taught me yesterday, as was proper etiquette in Brit according to her. I confirmed that information with a few locals, just in case she was pulling my leg. Syndra wrapped her right arm around my left with a cheerful smile.
"Hehe. I'll be in your care this fine evening."
"Likewise."
There weren't that many things to do here in Thormia besides the market, but when I was inquiring with the locals about whether the custom with locking arms is true or not, I was tipped off to a few nice dating spots. One of them was this square, but since we were already here, I thought it'd be better to hit up other spots instead.
Most medieval settlements are built around some body of water, like a lake or a river. Even in a world with magic, that rule holds true. Thormia has a brook flowing through it. People just call it the Thormia brook and didn't bother with naming it further, as it flows into a river called Fisque not far from here.
One of the spots I was told about is the bank of this brook. More specifically, a small willow tree overlooking a small stone bridge. The brook was wider and deeper here than in other places, and fish would occasionally show up here.
Because of the setting sun, not much light reached the brook, and it was hard to see below the surface. I pulled a pouch filled with breadcrumbs out of my pocket, precisely for such an occasion.
I threw a few of the crumbs, just to test the waters and see if the fish did bite. After confirming the presence of fish, I extended my hand holding the pouch towards Syndra.
"Want to feed the fish?"
"I'd love to. There's a small lake not far from the house where I used to live before I became and adventurer, so I'd occasionally go feed the fish with solid breadcrumbs just like these."
Syndra took a handful of feed and threw it into the brook and the fish disturbed the water in their fervor to secure even one more breadcrumb for themselves. We sat down under the willow tree, near the bank of the brook, and gazed at the setting sun and flowing water as conversation flowed smoothly. Syndra, continued about the lake near her house and her childhood. I, too, divulged some information, though I made sure to not mention that I was from another world, so I slightly altered the stories I told.
The reason I chose this spot was because it was pretty far from the city center and it was situated in a less populated area. This part of Thormia gave off a more village-like feeling. There were sparse houses with farm animals, the place was overflowing with greenery and just overall felt far less urban. It was a nice spot for relaxation, I must admit.
When we started getting hungry, we made our way to the restaurant where I made reservation a day prior after dumping the rest of the breadcrumbs in the brook for the fish to eat.
We sat down at our table and a waitress handed us their menu. I internally mused about how similar the service here is compared to Earth's, but it is not that surprising if we factor in that magic can efficiently substitute technology. Though, instead of plastic or paper menus, the menu here was written on a very thin wooden plaque using pyrography. It looks better than overdecorated plastic menus on Earth, if you ask me.
"What will you be having? Personally, I'm really eyeing the taluki steak."
I asked Syndra after having decided to go with the taluki steak. Taluki are birds similar to chicken that are found only in Brit, but they have a spiked spine compared to actual chicken. From what I've heard, they act just like chicken though. Chicken do exist in this world, by the way, just like most of the normal farmland animals you'd find in north America or in central and western Europe.
"I'll go with a beef soup and beef stew. I don't know what to order for a drink though."
Replied Syndra with a troubled look.
"Ah, that front is covered. This restaurant offers a bottle of wine at a discount price when you reserve a table, so I went ahead and took the offer. Do you perhaps dislike wine?"
"Hehe, no, I quite like it. I will drink in moderation, however. I dislike the feeling of being too drunk."
"That makes two of us."
We ordered our food and had the wine brough over. I poured Syndra and then myself a glass. With a clink, we toasted to a pleasant evening and we both took a sip.
"I wonder how the grilled taluki is going to taste, I haven't had the chance to try it yet."
"Do you like grilled food?"
Inquired Syndra.
"Yep. Probably, no, definitely my favorite cooking style. I'm a big fan of grilled food, be it meat or vegetables. I'm honestly already salivating, without ever having tasted it, haha."
"So you like grilled food, huh. Good to know."
Guh. Syndra, you can't say that while looking at me with that precious smile. I'm going to die of cuteness. Caught off-guard by her surprise attack, I looked out the window, pretending I didn't hear anything she said.
We continued chatting about what kinds of foods we liked, our favorite dishes, drinks and so on, until our food was served. After the meal, we shared our amateur opinions on the food, but nothing in depth, as we were no professional critics. I wonder if they even exist in this world in the first place.
The taluki did indeed taste like chicken. This restaurant seemed to have used some leaves while grilling the meat, as it had as slight floral scent that further added onto the deliciousness of the food. The taluki dish was enriched by mashed potatoes, pickled cucumbers and some green plant I didn't recognize. It was sweet sour-sweet, though, and went well with the mashed potatoes and taluki steak.
The conversation came to a natural lull and Syndra seemed to want to say something, so I let her collect her thoughts without interrupting.
"Um, Astoshan."
Syndra began, hesitantly.
"How much longer will you be staying in Thormia?"
My chest stung a little at that question, but I decided to answer honestly nonetheless.
"We plan on leaving in two days, three at the latest."
Syndra bit her lower lip lightly and while I didn't see her hands that were under the table, I can imagine she's clutching them into a fist.
"I… see. That is sooner than I expected."
Seeing her like this hurt. I wanted to just pat her and tell her we'll be here for longer, but we were strapped for time as is. The merchant caravan heading for Arngeno is going to depart in about three weeks, give or take a few days, and we were still at least ten days away from Knigh, the capital of Brit. Those ten days are the fastest estimate that doesn't consider the weather, stops for resting other than sleeping, bandit encounters, monster attacks and so many more variables. Realistically, we wouldn't make it to Knigh for another two weeks, and having only a week between arriving and having to depart again was already dangerously short. It'd be fine if all we needed were essentials, but who knows what else we might need to buy when we do get there.
An idea crossed my mind, and Merlin himself brought it up before, so I decided to throw my suspicions and worries away for once.
"Say, how about you girls come with us?"
Syndra's eyes lit up for a second with hope, but the light went away just as quickly and she gave me a melancholic smile.
"As much as I'd love to say yes right here and now, I'm afraid I have some unique circumstances. As long as these troubles are not solved, I'm afraid I won't be joining you."
"That's a shame. I was really hoping you'd agree, but we also have our circumstances, so I understand."
I and Merlin are on the run from Hosefelia. I'm not sure whether they've finally figured we are still alive, but I'd prefer to play it safe instead of leaving it up to chance, so I wanted to get out of Hosefelia's sphere of influence completely. Syndra must have her own circumstances that are hard to talk about, especially since she's a daughter of one of the four ruling families of Brit.
"Well, in case you decide to look for us when your troubles are solved, our current destination is the Samadian Kingdom. We're going with the merchant caravan that's heading for Arngeno and we're hoping to be allowed passage through it to get to Samadia. Worst case we'll track along the base of the mountains."
Unfortunately, going by ship was not feasible. The waters north of the eastern part of the Eidrean continent were home to high-ranking monsters, including Lethimos, a monster that is said to have been created directly by the gods. It is so powerful that even multiple expeditions filled with nothing but [Legendary] ranked classes have failed. My guess is the Lethimos is on the level of a [Mythical] being, since it is said to have been created by the gods themselves.
Incidentally, there are eight known records of monsters on the same level as Lethimos, but only three habitats were confirmed.
First, Lethimos in the seas north of Eidrea. A monster with a body spanning hundreds of meters with tentacles as thick as logs that are equally as long. Second, Tiamshin in the Alaskar mountains that dominated the center of the eastern part of Eidrea. A nine-headed dragon the size of a small mountain, each of its heads capable of casting a different type of magic independently. Lasty, Qiongali, roaming the deserts and savannas that are on the northern part of the Sanian continent. A beast that looked like it came from somebody's worst nightmare. Legs that were those of bird of prey, a tiger's head adorned with horns, wings with feathers as tough as adamantite.
The names of the other five are Gandrum, Aboleg, Taogin, Hunderum and Taowuta. Gandrum is said to be a large draconic serpent somewhere on the Ripian continent, but that remains unconfirmed to this day. There are very few records left of the remaining four, so there is next to nothing known about them.
I took another sip of the wine as I continued. Syndra mirrored me and also took a sip of the wine.
"Why Samadia, if I may ask?"
"Well, 'unique circumstances' is a pretty good description of our circumstances. But, to simplify a long story, we need to get as far from Hosefelia as possible."
Syndra's gaze scanned me with an analytical fervor, but I had no idea what she was thinking. Being a high noble, I bet she had access to a good information network, so could she have realized that I'm an otherworlder?
'No, figuring that out from the tiny tidbit of information I gave would be too much. Right? Ugh, fuck, I shouldn't have mentioned Hosefelia directly.'
I was starting to get paranoid now. I need to be more careful with what I say in the future. It's not like I'm hellbent on keeping my and Merlin's status otherworlders under wraps, but the longer we hide it, the better. At least until we reach Arngeno.
"Well, you seem reluctant to talk about it, so I won't pry either."
Said Syndra after a few seconds of silence. We paid for the dinner and left the restaurant. I wanted to pay for the whole evening, but Syndra insisted on at least covering half, as this was initially meant to be her way of apologizing to me for attacking me over a misunderstanding.
Funny how it was originally meant to be a simple dinner, but the more we talked about it, the more it turned into a proper date.
The three moons now hung high above us, intermittently peeking through the clouds that blanketed the sky. We walked through the torch lit streets of Thormia. Looking at the stalls I once roamed with Merlin, I wondered if he was out buying shady stuff again.
"I wonder what Merlin is up to."
"Ah, Sabrina and Testa said they made plans to go drinking with him tonight."
Well, that came as a surprise. Or not. Merlin and Sabrina are uncannily similar. I wouldn't be all too surprised if those two hit it off on more than a friendly note.
"Huh. Hope they won't get too sloshed and cause trouble."
"Hehe, I think they'll be fine. Testa has really high tolerance, and while Sabrina can be a bit rambunctious and loud, she never gets physical."
We continued walking for a while longer, and before we knew it, we found ourselves in front of the brook with the willow tree on the outskirts of Thormia. We sat next to each other on the bridge that went over the brook.
"You know…"
Syndra started.
"I haven't had this much fun in a long time. Thank you for this wonderful evening. I mean it."
She rested her head on my shoulder and closed her eyes. I smiled and gently rested my head against hers, looking up at the sky and enjoying the moment. We sat there in silence like that for a while, just feeling the warmth of each other's company.
"Will we ever see each other again after you leave Thormia?"
She asked after a period of silence.
"Only the stars know the answer to that question."
I took her hand in mine, interlocking our fingers.
"What I do know, though, is that I will forever remember this night fondly."
There were so many more things I wanted to tell her. I never thought love at first sight was a real thing, but with her, the spark that ignited between us instantly made me realize she's special. I wanted to tell her how much she's come to mean to, but I figured voicing such thoughts at this point in time was not only too early, but also pointless. We'd soon be going our separate ways because of our own individual circumstances, and who knows when we'd be able to see each other again, if ever.
Maybe going on this date was a mistake, knowing full well we would most likely have to part ways later. But I hold no regrets. I genuinely enjoyed spending time with her and she helped me realize I could still feel romantic affection. That alone is enough to outweigh the hurt I'll feel after we hit the road once more.
Smooch.
Syndra gave me a surprise kiss on the cheek. She quickly let go of my hand and stood up, trying to act nonchalant, but her red face betrayed her efforts.
"It's late, I think we should slowly start heading back."
I smiled faintly, focusing my senses on the warmth I felt on my cheek.
"You're right, let's."
With a lithe push with my hands, I also stood up and we walked back to our inn. I doubted Merlin and the other two would be back already. Knowing him, they'll most likely come back in the dead of night.
What I failed to notice, however, was the pair of eyes that stalked us from the veil of the night.
○○○
In the dimly lit side alleys of Thormia, a man ran in a mad dash.
He and his squad were sent out here to look for a someone, and he was nearly certain he just spotted the person they were here for. After tailing the target to an inn, he wrote down the inn's name and broke off in a sprint to his captain. Reporting this information took precedent over going to the underground information guild, which had been his original task.
After arriving at the residence their squad has been provided with, he made his way to the captain's office that also doubled as a bedroom. The residence they were provided wasn't small by any means, but it wasn't big enough to house their eight-man squad comfortably.
"Captain Rozes! Captain Rozes, it's Jaxan!"
The man, Jaxan, knocked on the captain's door with disciplined movements, as if he had done this motion hundreds, no, thousands of times before.
"Come in."
A loud voice came from inside the room. Jaxan opened the door and saw Captain Rozes sitting at his desk, going over some documents.
"Why have you returned when you left not long ago? Were they uncooperative at the information guild? Speak."
Captain Rozes said in a forceful tone, merely giving Jaxan an eye glance before returning his attention back to the document in his hand.
"She's here, Captain."
Captain Rozes stopped reading through the document and properly looked at Jaxan. His previously stern but languid expression tensed and his brows furrowed.
"Are you certain? If you're wrong or just trying to pull my leg, it will not end well for you."
Jaxan gulped, his blood running cold under the chilling gaze of his superior.
"Absolutely certain, Captain."
Captain Rozes stared at Jaxan for a while, which made him tense up even further. Then, finally, after a few seconds of silence that felt more like minutes to Jaxan, Captain Rozes opened his mouth once more.
"Hahahahaha! Finally, after weeks of nothing, we've finally found her."
He laughed heartily, an elated smile forming on his lips.
"Tell me, is she staying in this city?"
"Yes."
"Good. I'll send a team to confirm your information first thing in the morning. You'll be joining, so go rest for now. Dismissed."
"Yes, Captain!"
With a firm salute, Jaxan left the office. Once the door closed behind him, Captain Rozes reached for a drawer and pulled out a metallic ear accessory. He placed it on his ear and fed mana to the artifact to activate it. Before long, a woman's voice came from the earpiece.
"We are nearly certain the target is in Thormia. I will contact you in the morning with a confirmation whether our information is correct, but I wanted to inform you first, so you'd be able to send your walkers right away."
"The person who came with the information is Jaxan."
<…My little brother?>
"Indeed. We both know what his unique skill is, don't we?"
<[Lucky Star].>
Captain Rozes smiled and nodded to himself.
"Indeed. Your little brother is never wrong when he is nearly certain of something."
A few second of silence followed. With a grumble and a sigh, the voice from the other side finally resumed.
"Will do. I'll contact you again in the morning then, this'll be all for now. I'm ending the connection."
Captain Rozes stopped supplying mana to the artifact and it powered down. He stashed it back into his drawer and closed it.
Captain Rozes rose from his chair and stepped in front of a tall window, the trio of moons hanging high in the sky beyond the blanket of clouds.
"We will soon bring your prize before you, my lordship."
The sclera of his eyes was dyed pitch black, his iris a glowing yellow and the pupil a horizontal line, much like a goat's.